Coin-detector.



' No. 751,741. PAT-ENTE!) uni-9,1904.

f P. G. HARTBLL;

GOIN DETEGTOR'.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 1, 1903. N0 MODEL. 2 SHETBSBEET 1.

Y E jiafe/lgocgop) r 4 @Alfomjzys No. 757,741. PATENTED APR. 19, 1904. P. G. HARTBLL. G01N DETEoTom urmonrou Hmm nmz: 1. 190s. N9 mmm.. 2 sxnn'rs-snnn'r 2.

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UNITED 'STATES Patented April 19, 1904.

PATENT Orrrcn.

com-DETECTOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 757,741, dated April 19, 1904.

Application filed June 1, 1903.A Serial-Nu. 159,691. (llo model.)

cago` in the county of Cook and State of 1lli nois, have invented a new and useful Improve-V ment in Coin-Detectors, of which the follovvf f blanks, or slugs.

ing is a specication.v

The purpose and object of the present invention is to provide a device for detecting counterfeit or spurious coms, slugs, and disksy of inferior metals Which in many cases are placed 1n coin-'controlled vendmg-machmes and to provide mechanism Which Will prevent the operation of the machine and the delivery of goods except on the insertion of a coin.

A further object of the invention is to pro-` vide a device of thischaracter with a coin; rest or support of Whicha portion is movableA to permit the passage of spurious coins or,-

' ratus embodying` the invention, a portion of blanks.

A further object of the invention is toprovide a device of this character Witha movable. Vcoin-engaging member of such character and so constructed as to engage With and arrestv operative movement of a blank or slug of in-4 ferior metal, and thus prevent the delivery of goods from the machine with which it is cone nected.

A still further object of the invention is to -provide a movable coin-engaging member of such construction that when forced into contact with a blank or slug of a metal or other material softer than a standard coin it will bite into or interlock With such blank or slug and prevent further movement in the direction of the delivery-actuating mechanism.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a coin-engaging member With a tooth,

point, or other pricking or piercing portion Which when engaging a standard coin will move such coin in the direction of the delivery-actuating mechanism, but When moved into engagement With a slug or blank of softer metal or material will bite into such 4slug or blank and prevent further operative movement.

A still furthenobject of the invention is to provide a coin-rest of Which a portion ismovable either directly or indirectly by the coin` engaging slide.

A still'further 'object of the invention is to provide a coin-rest of vvhich a portion is movable to permit the passage of spurious coins,

With these and other objects in view the inyention consists in the novel construction and a vievv in elevation'of a coin-detecting appal the casing being 'shown in section. Fig. 2 is an elevation lookingfrom the inner side of the casing, the outerplate having been removed. Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view of a portion of the device o rifthe line 3,3 of Fig. 1. Fig. L

is a detailj perspective vievvfo'f the movable coiniestor support detached. Fig. 5 is a vievvofa portion or' themechanism shownzi'n Fig;- 1 with thel parts in 'different position.l

Fig. 6 is a sectional 4plan view illustrating al s lightly-modiied construction of the mechanism for actuating the movable coin-rest.` Fig. p

7 is a slight modication in the construction of the coinfengaging slide.

Similar numerals of reference are employed A. u

to indicate corresponding parts 'throughout the several figures of the drawings.

The device forming the subject of the present invention is intended for detecting spurious coins, blanks, or slugs, which in many cases are inserted in coin-controlled vendingmachines in attempts to obtain goods Without payment, although the device may be used in any`capacity Where it is desired to separate good coins from counterfeits and will prove of value in the counting and sorting oi' coins.

In the drawings, 1 designates a casing whichsprings 15.

is formed of any material and is of a shape and size depending on the character of the machine and the purpose 'for which the same is used. In the casing is a Winding coin-chute 2, through which the coin travels and falls on a rest or support comprising two members 3 and 4, spaced apart for a distance less than the diameter of the coin and one of said members being movable in order to permit the passage of a counterfeit, blank, or slug. The bottom of the coin chute or runway is arranged at an incline for the greater part of its length and has portions on two different planes, (indicated by reference-numerals 4 and 5,) the latter being lower than the former and thev two portions being separated from each other by an opening 7, through which a spurious coin may fall, while a coin of standard size and material will acquire sufficient momentum in traveling over the portion 4 to jump over the opening and strike the portion 5. The portion 4' of the runway is formed in'part of the poles of an electromagnet 8, and the magnet will not of course attract a coin formed of copper, nickel, or silver; but should a blank or slug of paramagneti'c material, such as irony 13, mounted on pivot-pins 14, the pins 12 eX- tending through small 'slots in the Wall of the casing and being normally held down in'coinlocking position -by means of small tension- These pins -will'freely yield in order to permit the passage'ofza coin when the latter is forced into position by the coinslide 16, and while not essential to the operation of the machine it is preferred to display the coins in order to lessen the liability of loss through the use of counterfeits or mutilated coins. 5'

When the coin has reached the lower end yof the chute 2', it falls tothe supports 3 and 4,

as previously describedi'and lies directly in the path of movement of the' vcoin-'engaging slide 16, a small portion of the coin extending below the line of the coin-'poket and the slide.

In the casing there Iis formed a slot 17, through which projects a guide-block 18, forming a part of or secured to the slide 16 and serving as a support therefor. To the outer end of the block is secureda pin 19, and

with this pin engages the lower end of a lever i 20, pivoted at a point intermediate of its length comparatively sharp edge.

to a pin 21, and at its upper end is connected to one end of a tension-spring 22, which serves to normally maintain the coin-engaging slide in the position shown in the drawings. The end of the coin-engaging slide is projected through a suitable sl'ot in the casing and is provided with a knob or bent or otherwise so formed as to render it convenient to the operator. v

The coin-engaging end of the slide is pointed or is provided with a sharp tooth, point, piercing, or ,pricking device for engagement with the coin.

To the outer side of the block 18 is pivoted a bell-crank lever 24, the verticalarm of which is connected by a spring 25 to a pin 26, also carried by the block. Then in normal position,l the vertical arm of the bell-crank lever islengaged by `a stop pin or lug 26, projecting from the side of the casing and normally removement of the bar being limited by a stoplock 33.

The sliding bar 30 carries the coin-rest member 4, thelatter projecting through a slot 34,

formed in one wall of the casing.

In the operationof the mechanism a coin is inserted in the coin-slotat the top of the chute ,2 and travels gradually downward, leaping over the` opening 7 if the coin is of standard size and value. The coin drops to the two spaced rests 3 and 4 and is supported in the 16. When this slide is forced inward, one of IOO its pointed ends or edges 35 engages the periphery ofthe coin and at points somewhat below a horizontal line extending through the diameter of the coin, and if the coin is of standardquahty the sharpened edge will not bite into the periphery of the coin, but will lift such coin and force it over the coin-'rest 3 and past the irst of the pins12.v be of aninferior softer metal, suchas lead, the sharpened edge or point of the slide 16 will bite intothe periphery of the coin and prevent upward movement over the coin-rest 3, it being noted'that the latter is also provided with a The spurious coin will then resist further inward movement of the slide, and the operator will naturally relieve thepressure on the slide-and allow the same to return to normal position preparatory to another inward movement. When the slide is released, the lower horizontal arm of the bell-crank lever will engage the lug 29 on slidable bar 30, and as the coin-engaging slide moves outward the sliding bar will be carried IIO Should the coin with it and move the coin-rest 4 a distance suficient to permit the spurious coin to drop through the space between the two coin-rests.

' The bell-crank lever is then disengaged from the lug 29, the vertical arm of said .bell-crank lever engaging the stationary pin 26 and-thelatter acting as a cam to eHect the disengagement of the horizontal arm of the bell-crank leve r. The separating movement of the coinrests need bebut slight to eiect the desired result, although the extent of movement may be varied in accordance with the character of the machine and the size of the coin-chute.

The invention may be modified in a number of ways, as by placing the sharpened points at an intermediate point in the width of the coin-engaging slide or by permitting more or less indirect action of the movable coin-rest,

the latter in some cases being in the form of an armature for a suitable electromagnet havinga controlling-circuit energized each time the coin-engaging slide moves outward.

Inthe-con'struction illustrated in Fig. 6 the movable coin-rest forms a portion of an armature 40, normally held in Aoperative position by a small tension-spring 41 and disposed within the iield oi' force of an electromagnet The electromagnet is arranged in a circuit 44, including a battery or other source of electrical energyand a pair of contacts 45 and 46. The contact 45 is arranged within the path of movement of the coin-engaging slide 16, so that on the outward movement oi said slide an electric circuit will be completed, the armature attracted, and the coin-rest withdrawn from its position under the coin.

In Fig. 7 is illustrated a slight modification of the construction, the coin-engaging slide 16 being provided with a biting edge or point 35' in a position slightly different from that shown in Fig. 2.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed isl Y.

l. In a coin-detector, a coin-engaging slide, a coin-rest including a movable member, means for maintaining the movable member in normal position during the forward movement of the slide, and means for moving said member to release position on the returning movement of the slide.

2, In a coin-detector, a coin-engaging slide, a coinrest including a movable member, means for maintaining said movable member in initial position during forward movement of the slide, and means operable by the slide for moving said member to release position on the returning movement of said slide.

3. In a coin-detector, a coin-engaging slide, a coin-rest includingamovable element, means for holding said element in initialr position during the forward movement of the slide, and engaging rubans carried by the slide and mov- 5. Iny a coindetector, a coin-rest, and a coin engaging and moving member having a pointed portion orengagement with la periphery oi' a coin, the point being forced positively into a disk of metal 'softer than the coin to thereby limit the movement of'said member.

6. In a coin-detector, a pair of spaced coinrests. initially separated for a 'distance less lthan the diameter of a predetermined coin,

and a pointed slide adapted to engage a coin carried by the rests and to raise such coin above the rests, Vthe engagementof the point of the, slide with a spurious coin preventing fullinward movement of said slide.

.7. In a coin-detector, a pair of spaced coinl rests of which one is movable with respect to the other, said rests being initially spaced for a distance less than the diameter of a predetermined coin, a pointed slide for engaging and raising a coin over the rests, and'means for operating themovable slide to etl'ect the release of a spurious coin. v-

8. In a device of the class specified, a pair of coin-rests of which one is movable, a coinengaging slide, a bell-crank lever carried thereby,- a slidable bar carrying the movable coin-rest, a spring normally holding said bar.

from movement, and a lug carried by the bar IOO vand adapted to be engaged by thebell-,crank lever on the outward movement of the slide.

9. In a device of the class specified, a mov able coin-engaging member, having a sharpened point for engagement with the periphery of a coin, and' an auxiliary pointed member between which and the movable coin-engaging member a spurious coin may be caught to. prevent full inward movement oi' said coin-v.

engaging member.

' l0. In a device ofthe class specified, acoinrest having a sharpened edge, and a movable coin-engaging member having a sharpened point between whichV and the sharpened edge of the coin-rest a spurious coin may be caught and limit the movement of said member.

1l. In a device of the class speciiied, amovable coin-engaging member having a point or tooth for biting into metals or materials softer than a standard coin, and a stationary member having a sharpened edge between which and the point or tooth a spurious coin may be caught to prevent full inward movement of said movable coin-engaging member.

IIO

IZO

coin-engaging member for operating the mov- IO able coin-rest.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aflixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

FREDERICK Gr. HARTELL. Witnesses:

J Ross CoLHoUN, JNO. E. PARKER. 

